These are kids' books I discussed in past months. Enjoy!
- Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
- I heard this story for the first time when my first grade teacher, Mrs. Sherrill, read it aloud to the class, and I cried at the end, when (Ouch! Major Spoiler ahead!) Charlotte died. I am a teacher now, and I've read it every year, to my third and fourth grade classes and I still have to work really hard not to cry in front of my kids when Charlotte dies. This story of friendship, sacrifice, and love between a doomed farmyard pig and (it turns out) equally doomed spider is a wonderful tale that every child, and I think too, every adult should read at least once in their lives. (Independent Reading Level= 3rd-4th grade, Read-Aloud=1st grade and up)
- Sideways Stories From Wayside School by Louis Sachar
- I first heard of this book in the fourth grade, when I could hear the class next door laughing like mad at Mr. Clark's (the other fourth grade teacher--I was in Mrs. Woodruff's class) reading of it. So, when I started teaching and I found a tattered old copy of it in my classroom library, I decided to read it aloud to my class too. Now, please keep in mind, that this particular class was made up entirely of ESL (English as a Second Language) students, who had some difficulty with the language in Charlotte's Web. They absolutely loved Sideways Stories. They fought over Sideways Stories. They kept every copy of Sideways Stories checked out of the school library for months. It was amazing. If you have a child--particularly a boy-child, who doesn't seem at all interested in reading, read him this book. It's silly, goofy, and just lots of fun. (Independent Reading Level= 3rd-4th grade, Read-aloud= 2nd grade and up)
Home